Exhibit about northern forests in New England, New York to open

A special exhibition will be displayed this winter that delves into the history of the Northern Forest of New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and New York.

The White Mountain National Forest, Androscoggin Ranger District is hosting the exhibit at the district visitors’ center.

It is now displaying Ways of the Woods: People and the Land in the Northern Forest.

The exhibit began Nov. 26.

It is free and open to the public.

“We are very pleased to host this exhibit, and hope that people will take this opportunity to not only view the exhibits, but take the time to learn more about the White Mountain National Forest,” said Katie Stuart, Androscoggin District ranger.

The exhibits include educational kiosks, artifacts and children’s activities that help people explore the ever-changing relationships between people and land across the Northern Forest of northern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.

The exhibit is organized on the themes of industry, adventure, conservation and recreation and includes artifacts ranging from original Oval Wood dishes to the spiked boots of a logger.

Several of the exhibits are tailored for hands-on fun that will entertain and inform school-age children and anyone with an inquisitive outlook.

The exhibits will be on display through April at the visitor center, 300 Glen Road, Gorham, which is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

More than 130,000 people toured the exhibit during a four-year tour of fairs and festivals across the Northern Forest.

Now, the Northern Forest Center (a non-profit organization that serves the 30-million-acre, four-state region) is partnering with colleges, museums and other organizations which will use Ways of the Woods as an anchor for their own programming and educational activities.

“The White Mountain National Forest draws millions of visitors every year,” said Mike Wilson, senior program director for the Northern Forest Center. “The exhibit helps visitors understand how closely the local communities are tied to the forest, and local people will be able to explore how much they share with other communities across the Northern Forest.”

The Northern Forest Center helps create economic opportunity and community vitality from healthy working forests in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.